Welcome to my weekly NFL article related to players and/or teams I found impressive or questionable. The article is intended to be a quick enjoyable read (nothing too in-depth). Hopefully this article helps you along in your season and daily fantasy football leagues as well as provides some general highlights from the previous weeks action. I hope you enjoy! Please comment on your weekly impressions or questions!
RB - Pittsburgh Steelers
With LeVeon Bell a no-show and holdout for the start of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers relied on their backup running back, James Conner.........and they relied on him heavily. The sophomore back received the entire RB load for the Steelers this past Sunday, carrying the ball 31 times for 135 yards and 2 scores. Averaging 4.4 yards a carry, Conner was one of the few bright spots for the Steelers in a heavy weather impacted game that saw turnovers left and right. Conner impressed on all fronts, not just rushing. Often referred to as a weakness in his game, Conner was able to add an additional 5 receptions on 6 targets. He showed versatility and played above all expectations mitigating the loss of Bell. Is his performance a testament to the Steelers offensive line, matchup vs. the Browns, or Conner himself? I suspect a combination of each but nonetheless Conner showcased he is the future back of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Expect Bell to remain a holdout and Conner to continue to take on a heavy workload for the Steelers after an impressive start Week 1. A feel good story in his own right and showing signs of a stud running back, Conner was full blown impressive Week 1.
RB - Washington Redskins
It seems like each and every year Rob Kelley is set to be the lead back for the Washington Redskins but somehow seems to blow it and let someone else take over. Week 1 was no different as Kelley took a backseat to Adrian Peterson who was added to the Redskins roster just a few weeks prior. The 33-year old back who was without a job for the entire offseason found himself in a starting roll against the Arizona Cardinals. Peterson received a heavy workload with 26 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown while also adding 2 catches for 70 yards. Does he have enough in the tank to take this the entire season? I guess we will find out. The only hesitation I have is that he posted several impressive games in Arizona last year to then follow up with some pretty awful games as the season wound down. Even with the yardage totals, Peterson averaged only 3.7 yards per carry Week 1 and I can't expect the same receiving production weekly as this was never a strong point of his game. Kudos to Peterson picking up the rock again and showcasing lead back capabilities while also proving naysayers like Cris Carter wrong whom suggested he should retire. The job is his to lose. Expect the Redskins to run Peterson as much as humanly possible or until age takes over.
QB - Green Bay Packers
I mean, come on, the dude is just insane. He leaves the Sunday night game vs. the Bears with what appeared to be a season ending knee injury only to return at half-time and lead the Packers to a victory down 17. If you watched the game, Rodgers essentially threw for 290 yards and 3 scores in the 2nd half of the game on 1 leg. Yea, 1 freaking leg. The dude lives for the moment and never disappoints. From what seem to be regular hailmary plays, endless comebacks, and performances like Sunday night, Aaron Rodgers is unquestionably the best QB in the NFL today and possibly ever.
Simply put, the New Orleans Saints defense got shredded Week 1 by Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers led by journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick put a whopping 48 points on the Saints defense on 529 yards of offense. All this while playing at home as a 9.5 point favorite. They were literally picked apart through the air by Fitzpatrick who finished with 417 passing yards and 4 touchdowns (+1 rushing). Not a good start to the season for the Saints who defense was much improved last season. Week 1 looked more like the Saints old defense led by the infamous Rob Ryan. A team that was regularly targeted in fantasy. Lets hope this was just a slow start for the Saints who maybe took the expected lowly Buccaneers for granted. But for now, the Saints defense remains a major question.
QB - Houston Texans
Watson was all the hype this offseason and was one the highest drafted QBs in fantasy drafts going into this season. I warned in my QB column that I just didn't quite trust all the hype around Watson based on sample size and the fact he was a dynamic style QB returning from a major knee injury/surgery. Well Week 1 certainly wasn't what those that were high on Watson hoped for as he finished with a mere 176 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception against the Patriots. He was able to add an additional 40 yards rushing to his total off 8 carries, showing some positive signs that he isn't hesitating too much in the run game. But, nevertheless, these numbers are way below expectation for Watson. The small sample size and injury concern was a trap.......and unfortunately many people fell into it. I mean come on, if you focus on his incredibly pre-injury sample size of games last season, Watson was on pace to be like the best QB ever. Temper expectations and don't expect Watson to reach the levels he showcased last season, at least not anytime soon. There are many other QBs I would rather have in season long right now and if you are focusing on a dynamic threat, I would consider the Chief's Mahomes over Watson. Watson remains a big question for me moving forward.
